Onondaga County police helicopter enlisted in arrest of shoplifter

Updated April 3, 2016 at 3:25 PM;Posted April 3, 2016 at 11:24 AM

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The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office enlisted the help of Air 1, seen above in a file photo, to help arrest a woman for allegedly shoplifting from a Camillus Wal-Mart.
(File photo by Stephen D. Cannerelli / The Post-Standard)

CAMILLUS, N.Y. -- The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office helicopter was used in the search and eventual capture of a woman who allegedly stole from a Camillus Wal-Mart on Saturday evening, according to the office's Facebook page.

The sheriff's office did not provide the woman's age or what she was alleged to have stolen. The helicopter was called to help Camillus police find the woman around 6:49 p.m.

The post's author later edited the post to clarify that the helicopter, known as Air 1, was "patrolling the county" when its pilot responded to the Wal-Mart. Some commenters questioned whether the helicopter's use was necessary for the shoplifting arrest.

The flight crew spotted the woman heading northbound through the parking lot toward a Bon-Ton store and alerted Camillus police, who then arrested her.

Sheriff's office spokesman Jon Seeber said in an email that the helicopter was returning to the Camillus heliport when the call was dispatched.

"They simply assisted the responding units by relaying and directing them to the suspects location before she could get away," Seeber said.